Steadying device of the rolling of ships



April 14, 1925. 1,533,328

5. MOTORA STEADYING DEVICE OF THE ROLLING 0F SHIPS Filed April 19, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I4 7/3 I i|w'/Z 1 I iO'f/a 5 ;L

Inveniar. 3.110161% April 14, 1925. 1,533,323

S. MOTORA STEADYING DEVICE OF THE ROLLING 0F SHIPS v Fil e d April 19, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mum: 6

Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES P nane ATENT OFFICE.

SHINTAR-O MOTORA, 0F NAGASAKI, JAPAN, ASSIGNOR TO MITSU BISHI ZO'SEN KA- IBUSI-IIKI KAISI-IA,

OF TOKYO, JAPAN.

STEAD-YING DEVICE OF THE ROLLING OIE SHIPS.

Application filed April 19, 1922. Serial No. 555,641.

To all 'w/wmc't may concern:

Be it known thatfimnrnno Morons, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing at city fof Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steadying Device of the Rolling of Ships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for steadying the rolling of ships of the type comprising rotatable fins extending from the ship, which are set by means of engines regulated automatically by one or more gyrostats. I

This application is a continuation in part of my application $erial No. 377,053, filed April 27, 1920.

The fins are normally set in a position parallel to the stream lines of the water around them due to the ahead or astern motion of the ship. If the ship commences to roll, the automatic regulator comes into action and the engine is caused to operate to set the fins in such position that the force on them due to the forward or backward movement of the ship tends to oppose the rolling motion of the ship.

The controlling engine is similar in its manner of operation to a steering engine; any well designed steering engine worked by steam, electricity, or hydraulic power,

may be employed. For the automatic regulater, the properties of gyrostat may conveniently be utilized. The spinning axle of the gyrostat is placed in nearly horizontal plane and is allowed to rotate around a vertical axiswithin a small range of angle, but is kept in the central position which is nearly in athwartship direetirm by small springs. If the ship begins to roll, the gyro stat, by the well known properties of rotating bodies, will precess against the spring in a direetion depending on the direction of the rotation of the gyro-rotor and the direction of the roll of the ship and will make one of the electric contacts which are arranged on each side of the gyrostat. The electric current thus started energizes solenoids which operate on the valves or the switches of the controlling engines. Two or more gyrostats are employed when a closer stabilization is required. In this case the first gyrostat is so adjusted that it makes the electric contact very sensitively responding with a small angular velocity of the rolling motion of the ship caused by small wave impulses. The second gyrostat isadjusted a little less sensitive than the first and it controls another circuit which allows the fins to rotate further than allowed by the first gyrostat. When wave impulses to roll the ship are great and the first gyrostat is unable to keep the amplitude of the roll of the ship within a small limit, the second gyrostat comes into action and produces additional stabilizing couple. A third, fourth and more gyrostats may be used if desired. This system is advantageous especially when a powerful stabilizer is employed. In such a case, if only one gyrostat is employed, the fins will be feathered to their maximum inclination what ever may be the magnitudes of the wave impulses. Thus if the wave impulse be very small, the stabilizing couple will be too great, resulting an irregular vibratory mo tion of the ship. This objection can be avoided by introducing two or more gyrostats arranged as mentioned in above. The saving of power of the controlling engines and the propelling maehineries resulting from elimination of unnecessary feathering of the fins is another advantage of this system of regulation.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l is an example of the general arrangement of the fin at the bilge of the ship in which a recess is provided for housing the tin when not in use. Fig. 2 is the plan oi" the regulating gyrostal, and Fig. i is a |iagrammatical sketch of the urmmgemenl ottwo regulating gyrostals and elcclric system. Fig. 4 and Fig. are detail views of a part of the mechanisms shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, l is the fin, 2 its stock, 3 the recess into which the fin may be housed when not in use; 4 is the bearing which is allowed to slide along the guides fixed on the wall of the recess, 5 is the stuffing box and serves also as, a bearing of the stock of the fin. 6 is a toothed segment fixed on the top of the stock and engages to a pinion 7, mounted on a .shaft 8. The shaft 8 is driven by the shaft 9 of the controlling engine or the motor through the worm and wormwheel 10. Other parts of the mechanism shown in the figure and designed to move the fins in and out the re cess are: not essential: parts in this. invenr tion.

In the Fig. 2, 11 is the revolving rotor, 12 its shaft, 18 is a frame supporting the shaft 12 at two bearings, 14k, 14; and, is mounted on a frame 15' fixed to the ship so as to be, free. to. rotate about an axis throigh 18 which isi learly in, vertical. plane. 16. are buffers to. keep the spinning axle 12 inatliwart; ship. di ection. 11,17 are stop: persi. These; b ffers an stoppers, n th pecial ase, ser as lectric cqn a ts- Thus iffthe shipbeginsto. roll the revolving wheel precesses pre ingthe spring and m e the conta,ct closing a, circuit, which energizes the solenoids actuating the valves, or the switches. of: the, controlling machines.

In, the Fig, 3,. the arrzmgement of two gyrestats is. shown, a, and bare two, gyro.- Stats, The; gyrostat a so, adjusted that it precesses very, sensibly. responding with smallroll. of the-ship. c and. dare two. solenoids, which are connected with; the, gyrostat a. together with anel c r c source e by wire as shown in the figure. If the gyrostat 64 makes one; of the contacts f,,the; correspond: ing one of: the solenoids. is energized and pulls, in, the plunger. The plunger has a slit at. the-middle portion and, has. a. pin. g, across, the slit which. engages in a slit cut. in leve h. The. lever ispivotecl at z'and, has fork shaped end engaging. 3.11} an, annular space between twocol-lars fixed on the rod; w ich is, connected tothevalve or the switch of the controlling engine. The plunger, g, the, lever h. and. the rodaj are kept in their normal. positionsby the centralizing springs I u. k is a stopper revolvable around; the axis 11. but kept inv its normal, position by means of the springs in and stopper n, the other end of the stopper formsfan armature for the electronnagnet 0.. This electroanagnet, the gyrostat 7),, and the electric source '79 are lby wires as. shown in. the Figure 0. pie roll of the ship is: small, one of the circuits q only is closed by the gyrostat a,

the gyrostat b, being less. sensitive "than. the

former, remains in its. normalv position. Therefore the rod j, movesso far as theend not the lever 72, strikes the stopper Z0. and the valve orthe switch is half open. But if, the roll1 of the ship, is great, the secondgyrostat al'se, comes. into 7 action, and an electric current throug the c rcu ts energiz s. e e ectro magn and it attract the arma ure t or th hip. of the, stopper 70,, So that the stop,-

per swings as shown by broken line in the Figure 4. The lever, now being free from the stopper 76 moves onas far as the plunger 9 reaches to the stopping end and the valve or the switch of a controlling engine is fully opened, resulting in maximum inclination of-the fins.

In the later stage of the roll, the gyrostat b first opens the circuit 8, demagnetizing the electrormagnet' 0, and the stopper id is allowed to. swing back to its normal position. The gyrostat a then opens the circuit q and the plunger 9' together with the lever will travel back to their central position. But as the stopper 7c is now in its normal position, it will be necessary t m ke. he nd of the stopper in. Wedge shape. as shown in k in. Fig. 3to allow the lever end 9" to push aside the stopper and easily pass therethrough. As it will be convenient to use a weak current for gyrostat control and a stronger one for energizing solenoidsand electro-magnet, a relay may be inserted in each of the circuits q and s.

The mechanism of controlling the valve or the, switch by the rod j is the so called fQllow-up-gear and an example thereof is Shown in Fig. 3 and Fig, 5. n is a worm fixed on the rod j and engages in a Wormwheel 10 which is mounted on the valve rod 0 or the sliding member of the switch y. '0 is another worm engaging in. the worm wheel to and the shaft of which is driven by the controlling engine or the motor 2 so that the valve or the switch returns to itscentral position after a certain number of revolutionsof the engine or the motor. This number of revolutions must ofcourse be predetermined corresponding-- to the valve opening or the amount of shifting of; the switch caused by the motion of'the rod The arrangement described in above is merely an example to show the principle of thegyrostat regulator to be employed in my invention. Many equivalent arrangements may be devised based on the same principle.

Having now particularlydescribed and ascertained; the nature ofmy said invention. and in what manner-the same. is to be performed I declare that what I claim is z 1". A stead'ying device forpreventing or n'ii-n-imizing the rolling of ships, including a rotatable fin adapted to extendinto the water from the hull of the ship, a control ling engine for turning said fin, controlling means for said controlling-- engine, a gyrostat operated means for eif'ecting operation of the controlling means, stops for said con trolling means, and means including aless sensitive gyrostat for moving said stops out of the position in which they engage said controlling means,

2. A device for steadyi-ng ships including a rotatable fin adapted to extend into the water from the hull, of the ship, an engine :lor actuating said fin, controlling means for effecting the intermittent operation of said engine said controlling means including a lever, a rod connected to the lever, solenoids for moving said rod in opposite directions, a gyrostat for effecting the operation of said solenoids, stops for limiting the movement of said lever, and means including a less sensitive gyrostat for moving said stops out of the position in which they engage said 10 lever.

In testimony whereof he afiixes his signatnre.

SHINTARO MOTORA. 

